Rail-joint bridge-piece.



PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.

W; GOLDIE. RAIL JOINT BRIDGE PIECE.

APPLICATION FILED 00112, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

Iril

/6 FIGQ2 UNITED STATES Patented April 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

RAIL-JOINT BRIDGE-PIECE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,526, dated April 26, 1904.

Application filed October 12, 1903.

To all, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LWILLIAM GoLDIE, a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rail-Joint Bridge-Pieces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to rail-joint bridgepieces, its object being to provide a simple and cheap form of bridge-piece which will serve to support the rails at the joints against downward deflection and unite them to the ties at the joint in such way as to sustain the rails against downward strain, while it is capable of use with the ordinary standard angle-bars.

To these ends my invention consists, generally stated, in combination with the rails of ties supporting the rails at the joint and having thin deep grooves or kerfs formed therein and an integral supporting bridge piece or bar having a thin longitudinal depending strengthening-rib, said bar resting on the ties and having its rib seated in the kerfs formed in the ties and the bar having an upwardly-extending shoulder along its outer edge to receive the outward thrust of the rail through the flange which fits against such shoulder.

It also consists in certain other improvements, which will be hereinafter more particularly set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the joint, showing the bridge-piece in section and the regular angle-bars which serve to unite the rails at the joint. Fig. 2 is a side view of the joint. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom plates of the bridge bar or piece, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4, Fig. 2.

The invention is illustrated in connection with the ordinary rail-joint formed by means of angle or fish bars, the rails 2 and 3 being connected by means of angle-bars 4 and nuts and bolts 5. Any suitable means for connect- 5 ing the two rail-sections may be used. Ex-

Serial No. 176,692. (No modelA tending under the rail-joint and from one tie 7 to the next tie 8 is the bridge piece or bar 'of the rail-joint, this bridge-piece being of a length to extend practically over both of the ties, as clearly shown in' Fig. 2. This bridge is formed of the body portion 9 and the thin depending strengthening -rib 10. which extends for the full length of the plate and, as illustrated in the drawings, is made slightly tapering. The bridge-piece hasalso the upwardly-extending shoulder 11 along its outer edge. To receive the depending strengthening-ribs 10, the ties adjacent to therail-jointsand supporting the same have deep kerfs or grooves 12 formed therein corresponding in shape to the depending strengthening-ribs 10, and if the ties are formed of wood these kerfs or grooves can be easily cut therein, the grooves being so made that the strengtheningribs fit tightly therein and by seating themselves therein cover the kerfs or grooves and prevent the entrance of water, which might lead to decay of the tie. By the employment of such strengthening ribs and kerfs or grooves the bridge-pieces themselves are positively held from outward movement under:-

the strain of a passing train, and their upwardly-extending shoulders will support the rails from such outward strain, so that at the point of greatest weakness in the track namely, where the rails are joined-a positive and firm support as against lateral displacement is-obtained, means being soprovided to sustain the track at the point most liable to yield.

As shown in the drawings, the bridge-piece does not interfere in any way with the making of the ordinary joint between the two rails by means of the standard angle or fish bars or in any other desired way, but practically unites with the same in entirely incasing the rail at its point of greatest weakness. The rail may be secured to the tie in any suitable way. For example, the bridge-piece or, if desired, the angle-bar, or both, may have suitable notches 15 to receive spikes 16, holding the whole structure to the tie.

The bridge-pieces embodying the invention can be made at small cost, such as from old or worn-out rails or rail ends, it being only neces- Too sary to remove the rail-head and either reroll or forge the section to desired shape. \Vhere the parts are so rolled to shape, either from old rails or billets, all that is necessary is to cut them to length, so that there is little expense in their manufacture.

When the rail-joint is in use, it is evident that the bridge-piece gives support to the rails at the joint, which is the point where downward deflection is most liable to occur, and relieves the rail-joint proper from the severe strain which leads to the depressing of one or both rails and the hammering and destruction of the ends thereof. At the same time it provides positive support as against outward deflection of the two rails resting on the bridgepiece through its direct connection with the ties at both ends of the bridge-piece through its depending strengthing-rib 1O fitting in the grooves 12 of the ties and through its outer supportingshoulder with which the railfiange 17 of each rail engages. The bridgepiece thus gives all the support necessary at the joint to provide a practically continuous track and positively prevent deflection of the rails at the joint. The bridge-piecewhile conforming to the ordinary angle-bar also relieves the same from the downward strain, which leads to cracking, and therefore extends the life not only of the track, but of 'the ordinary connecting-bars between the rails. One peculiarity of the construction is n0tablenamely, that while the bridge-piece unites with the angle-bars in embracing the rail at the joint it is not positively connected to the same, and therefore does not so much interfere with the wave motion which obtains in all rails when a train is passing over the same and which, if a joint is too rigid, is interrupted, and therefore the construction gives a smootherriding track.

l/Vhat 1 claim is 1. The combination with the rails, of ties adjacent to and supporting the rails at the joint and having deep kerfs or grooves formed therein, and a supporting bridge-piece having an upwardly-extending shoulder along its outer edge to receive the outward thrust of and a depending supporting-rib extending for the full length of the bridge-piece and seated in the kerfs of the ties, and an angle-bar secured on each side of said rails and connecting the same.

3. The combination with the rails, of ties adjacent to the joint and supporting the same, having deep kerfs or grooves formed therein, and a supporting bridge-piece having an upwardlyextending shoulder along its outer edge to receive the outward thrust of the rail, and a thin depending supporting-rib extending for the full length of the bridge-piece and seated in the grooves of the ties, and anglebars connecting the rails, the outer angle-bars extending over the upwardly-extending shoulder of the bridge-piece.

4. The combination with the rails, of ties adjacent to the joint and supporting the same, having deep kerfs or grooves formed therein, a supporting bridge-piece having an upwardlyextending shoulder along its outer edge to receive the outward thrust of the rail, and a thin depending supporting-rib extending for the full length of the bridge-piece and seated in the grooves of the ties, and angle-bars connecting the rails, suehangle-bars extending over the upwardly-extending shoulder of the bridge-piece, and the bridge-piece and outer angle bar having corresponding notches formed therein to receive the spikes.

In testimony whereof I, the said WILLIAM GoLDIE, have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM GOLDIE. 

